What is love?
by pandawhere
Summary: Natsu and Lucy are the best of friends who are always together. They go on missions together, eat together, and just hang out together. However, all of that changes one day when one of their lives is threatened.
1. The One With The Adventure

Chapter 1

"Nastu! You're up!"

"I'm all fired up now!" Natsu jumped into the air, flames surrounding his fists. He dove into the beast before him, engulfing it in fire. Natsu laughed.

"You're up, Luce."

"Okay!" Lucy yelled. "I beckon thee to my side at once. Pass through the Gate, Virgo!" With that, a beautiful, pink-haired maiden appeared.

"You summoned me, Princess?" she said.

"See that monster over there? He's our enemy." Lucy called to Virgo.

"Yes, Princess," Virgo responded. The maiden leapt into the air gracefully and spun until her body resembled a drill. She crashed down on the beast, but it was far more powerful than expected.

"My turn!" yelled Erza. "Requip!" Her body began to glow as she transformed her clothes to resemble a samari. Two swords appeared in either hand as she raced toward her target. She tried to slice through it, but its body became hard, as though a shell had formed around its skin- or what ever it was made of. "Dammit," she said under her breath.

"Hold on," said Gray. "Ice make, hammer!"

The ice wizard smashed the weapon on the creature, but nothing happened.

"Alright, Ugly. I gave my friends a chance, but you're mine! Fire Dragon, roar!" Natsu attacked the monster with all of his force. Suddenly, its shell broke and revealed the the monsters gross skin. Finally, with one last "fire dragon, iron fist," the monster fell. Natsu smiled his signature smile.

(Natsu)

Back at the guild hall, all the members of Fairy Tail were waiting to hear about their adventure. As Natsu entered, he noticed a familiar face. She had large blue eyes, short white hair, and a beautiful smile.

"Hey there, Natsu," Lisanna Strauss waved at him. "Glad you're back."

Natsu smiled and walked over to the youngest of the Strauss siblings. "How are you, Lisanna?"

"I'm great! I've been helping Mira around the guild. How was the mission?"

"It was awesome," Natsu smirked and lifted his arm to flex. "I totally one hit that guy."

"Oh, Natsu. If you're going to over exaggerate, at least make it more believable." said a certain blonde.

"Oh, hey, Lucy," Lisanna said with a giggle. Lucy smiled and went to hug her, but they were interrupted by a pink-haired dragon slayer. Being thrown into them. Natsu found himself flying pastpast everyone, ready to land on Gray, the one who caught him off guard and threw Natsu. But just before he landed his hit, he felt someone land one on the side of his head. He felt like his skull had cracked.

"Enough, you two," said a very angry Erza sternly. Natsu rubbed his temples. How did her hits hurt so much? As he was walking away, he caught sight of a giggling Lisanna and an ever-so-angry Lucy walking his way.

"Natsu, why do you get into fights with Gray when you know Erza is going to get involved?" Lucy placed her hands on her hips.

"Because he starts the fights and I'm no pansy," Natsu states angrily. Lucy walked out of the guild.

"Natsu, should we go after her?" asks an unusual, but well-know flying cat.

"You know what? I think we should."

"Aye sir!"

With that, the followed in the blondes foot steps until they caught up to her. The rest of the way was silent.

 **Well, there it is. The first chapter of many (hopefully). Any feedback is very much welcomed and thank you for taking time to read this.** **~Panda Where**


	2. The One With The Peaceful Evening

Chapter 2

(Lucy)

Lucy heard Natsu walking up to her as she made her way back to her apartment. She had been so preoccupied with talking to Lisanna that she hadn't even heard the fight begin with Gray and Natsu. 'Oh well,' she thought to herself. Lucy sighed, but it was Natsu who broke the silence.

"I'm hungry, Luce. Wanna get somethin' to eat?"

"Yeah, sure," she replied. They continued walking in silence, Happy flying slightly behind them. Natsu put his hands behind head. Lucy could feel the warmth of his body against the cool breeze of late autumn. It felt nice. She felt as though time went by so quickly, so she didn't have a chance to appreciate the beautiful weather, but that evening with Natsu was different.

As they arrived at the diner, Lucy heard Natsu say something, but her mind was off in another world. She felt herself being shaken.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Natsu frowned. Lucy looked up at him and shook her head. She was okay.

After they had been seated in their booth, the blonde rested her head on her hand and stared out the window next to her. Across the table, she heard Natsu and Happy chatting away about how awesome his skills were today, and how easily he took down that creature. Lucy smiled. 'Those idiots,' she thought.

Lucy felt calm and content, a much different combination of emotions than when she first left the guild hall. Though, it couldn't have been too long ago, twenty minutes tops, apart of her felt like she'd been stuck in the moment for a while.

Two years ago, not counting the seven she had lost during the S-Class trials, she had left her home in search of adventure and a feeling of belonging. Then, she met the pink-haired boy across from her who gave her both of those things. He showed her Fairy Tail, the place where everyone was family and it was always considered home. She was thankful.

The three of them had ordered their food: Lucy had gotten a small bowl of noodles, Natsu got a huge plate of what ever, and Happy got some fish. It arrived fairly quickly. Natsu and his friend the cat ate their food in almost one bite while Lucy took her time. Eventually, she let them finish it, she payed, and they were on their way.

Natsu followed Lucy into her apartment and lay on her couch. He was instantly snoring. Lucy grinned. As much as she said she didn't want him there, or just to barge in, she enjoyed his company.

She walked out of the room and into her bathroom. She took a nice relaxing bath before she heard a loud _CRASH_ coming from the livinv room. Lucy wrapped herself up angrily as she stomped out. "What is with you two? I thought you were asleep."

"We were, but then we got bored," Natsu said.

"Aye sir!" Happy agreed.

"What was that loud noise, then?" Lucy asked, already annoyed.

"Happy dropped the bowl of popcorn we were making for the movie." said the salamander.

"Movie?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah! We were gonna wait for you, but we thought it'd be better to leave you alone." Natsu stated. Lucy smiled.

"Let me get dressed and I'll watch the movie with you guys."

"Aye!" Natsu and Happy said in unison.

When Lucy returned, she sat on the opposite end of the couch, where the three of them peacefully watched their movie.

But little did they know that what they would discover about themselves and each other in the next few days would be enough to change their friendship for good.


	3. The One With The Villain

Chapter 3

(Lucy)

She woke up with a start. Lucy scanned the room she was in, which appeared to be her bedroom. She got up to see a certain pink-haired boy lying next to his blue friend on the sofa. At first, Lucy was annoyed, but then she felt at ease knowing Natsu was around.

Wait... why? Normally, Lucy felt safe even when Natsu wasn't around, so why did his presence comfort her so much now?

Maybe it wasn't a feeling of safety. Maybe she had been feeling alone lately and Natsu had been there for her, even though he had no idea how she felt.

Lucy's thoughts rambled on in her mind, cluttering with every new thought that appeared. She looked outside the window and back at Natsu and Happy. They were her best friends and she was just thankful to have them around, she concluded.

(Natsu)

He woke up to the smell of cooking bacon and something sweet, a cake perhaps. Natsu wandered his way to the kitchen where he found a very tired Lucy hovering over the stove making breakfast.

"Good morning, Luce," Natsu said, scratching the back of his head and yawning.

"Good morning," she replied with a grin. Lucy handed him a plate full of bacon and eggs. "Here," she said.

"Thanks." Natsu grinned. "Hey, Lucy," Natsu said, taking a bite of his eggs. "Are you feeling okay?" Natsu noticed Lucy's face become suddenly serious.

"Uh, I guess so. I have a question for you," Lucy replied. "Do you feel... off?"

"Hmm. Not really, why?"

"Oh, I don't know. Just wondering, I guess." Lucy blushed. "Ready to go to the guild?"

"Uh, yeah." Natsu was confused. He did feel off, being completely honest with himself, but he couldn't tell Lucy. He wasn't sure why, but he knew he just couldn't.

The guild was lively, as usual. There were people chatting away about their day while others bragged about how heroic they were during their mission. Natsu sighed.

"Hey, look. Its flame brain," teased Gray from across the guild hall.

"Hey look, its the perverted stripper," Natsu retorted.

"You two better be careful. Erza will be back from the market soon. She's out getting ingredients for her strawberry cake," said Mirajane with a smile.

"Yeah, whatever," said both Natsu and Gray in unison. Natsu turned his head and saw Lucy sitting alone at a near by table. He walked over to her.

"Hey, Luce. Wanna go on a mission?" he asked.

There was a faint look of sadness on her face, but she grinned. "Of course."

"Cool. So let's go!"

"Aye sir!" shouted Happy.

And with that, the three of them walked out of the guild.

The entire way there was literal hell for Natsu. He held his head outside of the wagon until they reached their destination. Lucy laughed lightly.

Once they arrived, they noticed that there was something very wrong with the town. It was quiet... too quiet. Natus looked around, Happy flying by his side.

"Where is everyone?" asked his flying comrade.

"Not sure," Natsu replied. He saw Lucy looking into one of the buildings when he sensed it...

In a flash, Natsu had Lucy in his arms as they sprung into the air just in time to dodge their attacker. Lucy screamed.

"Damn, that was way too close." Natsu sounded angry, but he was relieved to have caught their female partner before their enemy had. They landed on the ground; Natsu's hands were surrounded by his flames while Lucy had a key in one hand and her whip in the other.

"And who might you be?" asked their mysterious opponent. He tall and slim, and had hair as dark as the night sky. His eyes were a crimson red.

"You tell us first, ugly," Natsu called. He heard Lucy to his right mutter something, but he couldn't quite make it out. He brushed it off.

"My name is Nuevier," he said smugly.

"New-V-what now?"

"Nuevier (new-V-air)." He placed a hand on his face. "Oh great."

"HEY YOU'RE THE ENEMY HERE! WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM ANYWAYS?!"yelled an angry Natsu.

"Nuevier?" Lucy whispered. What kind of name was that? "Are you the reason this down is deserted?"

"Yes, in fact I am," he said with a smirk. Nuevier lifted a hand. "This town once thrived with life and happiness. It was disgusting. I hated hearing the laughter and seeing such happy smiles on the towns folks' faces, so I figured it was time for me to change that." Nuevier laughed. "I take it you've come to stop me?"

"As a matter of fact, we have," said the celestial wizard.

"Lucy, let me take this guy. There's something odd about him," Natsu warned. Lucy gave him a half confused/ half scared look.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Just then, a wave of darkness surrounded them. Natsu put his arms in front of his face to block when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lucy fall...

Hello again! I hope you're enjoying this. Thank you for taking the time to read my work. I also want to note that this is an AU, so this never actually happens in the anime or manga. I will hopefully have the next update soon. Any feedback is welcomed. Thanks again!

~Panda Where


	4. The One With The Final Hit

Chapter 4

(Natsu)

He looked at his fallen comrade, eyes widened with fear. Natsu ran over to the blonde. "Lucy!" he screamed. "Dammit, what did you do to Lucy?!"

"Nothing _too_ bad. Maybe." Nuevier laughed wickedly. Anger was coursing through Natsu's body, his flames getting stronger and hotter with hatred. Anyone who layed one fingure on Lucy was a dead man.

Natsu lunged at Nuevier, flames surrounding him. He was quick, but his enemy was quicker. Nuevier jumped to the side, avoiding Natsu's hit. He laughed. Natsu growled.

"Young boy, did you really believe it'd be that easy to land a hit on me?" asked Natsu's opponent. "I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Your friend over there is under a spell that is slowly killing her as the seconds pass by." Nuevier laughed like a mad man. "If you defeat me within the next 10 minutes, then your friend will live, but if you don't, its game over."

Natsu froze with fear. Was Lucy going to die? 'No way,' he thought to himself. 'I am not going to let that happen.' He mustered up all of his strength. "There's no way I'm going to let you kill Lucy. I swore I'd protect her and there's no way in hell I'm going back on my word."

"Promise or no promise, it doesn't give you any better of a chance at winning than you have now," said Nuevier.

"You've obviously never heard of Fairy Tail, then." Natsu smiled. "Now, I get to show you who we are."

(Lucy)

She opened her eyes to a blinding light. Where was she? Was she dead? No, there's no way. Lucy got on her feet. Suddenly, she was back at the guild, but it was empty. Huh? "Hello?" No answer.

Out of nowhere appeared someone she faintly recognized, but who? As they approached her, she felt the fear gather in her throat. She knew that magic. Lucy backed away.

The man laughed. "I see you're awake."

"Where am I?" Lucy asked, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible.

"You're in the place my spell takes you."

"Spell?" Lucy looked around. The walls of the guild disappeared until there was nothing left of it.

"You see, the spell takes you to the places that made you happy and slowly dissolves them into nothingness," he said.

"Wait, what?" Lucy couldn't breathe. What was going on? Was she under a spell? Suddenly, the shadow of Nuevier vanished and she was alone.

(Natsu)

Natsu yelled. His body was turned into something that didn't even look human. One of his arms was replaced with a large red wing, and he had scales going from head to toe. _Dragon Force._

Natsu jumped into the air and landed a hit on his opponent. Nuevier gasped.

"No way!" He yelled. This guy really just turned into a dragon?

"You picked a fight with the wrong guy!" Natsu hit him again, and again, and again. He couldn't, no _wouldn't_ stop, until Nuevier was defeated and Lucy was safe.

Nuevier lay on the ground, Natsu breathing heavily and no longer dragon-looking. Nuevier laughed.

"I take it I've lost this battle?"

"Yeah, you did," Natsu said bitterly. He looked over at Lucy. "You gonna lift that curse, or am I going to have to kill you?"

"Kill me?" He kept laughing. "Do whatever you'd like to, but your time is up."

"What? It's only been like two minutes." Natsu's vision went blurry.

"That's where you're wrong," Nuevier said weakly. "You see, while you spent all that time talking your talk, your friend's condition worsened."

"So you lied..." tears welled in Natsu's eyes.

"No one said I was being honest," Nuevier said wickedly. Natsu felt his entire body go numb. His legs felt like jelly. He looked over at Lucy and back at Nuevier who had fallen unconscious, or perhaps was dead. No, he was _definitely_ dead. Natsu ran to Lucy and sat down beside her. He picked up her lifeless body and touched her forehead to his...

When her eyes opened slightly. "Natsu?" she whispered.

"Oh my God," he said in disbelief. Nuevier hadn't lied? So why had he said that? Natsu pulled her closer his body tightly. She was alive. Thank God his best friend was alive.

"Where's Happy?" Lucy asked.

"I'm over here. I took cover after you fell." Happy flew over to Natsu and joined in the hug.

And that's how they stayed for a while.

 **Hey guys! Sorry about how rushed this chapter was! I'm just super excited about the plans I have for the next chapters! As always, thank you for reading my story and comments are welcomed :D** **~Panda Where**


	5. The One With The Confession

Chapter 5

(Lucy)

Back at the guild, Lucy was put into the infirmary. Even though she was awake, she wasn't entirely better. She started thinking about what happened after Nuevier's shadow had disappeared while she was under the spell...

(Flash Back)

Lucy looked around in the darkness. The guild hall she once stood in had disappeared along with Nuevier, and silence filled the air as she quietly, and cautiously, made her way through the darkness. Suddenly, she heard a voice...

"Just what do you think you're doing? Are you seriously going to let your friend do all the fighting outside while you nap?" That voice... it was so familiar. Lucy's eyes began to well with tears as she realized who it was coming from. Out of nowhere appeared a woman with light blue hair and a beautifully scaled mermaid tail.

"Aquarius..." Tears began streaming down Lucy's face as she ran to her childhood companion. Aquarius embraced the blonde in a warm hug. Even if it were only the affects of the spell, it felt so real, so warm. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to tell you to wake up. Your friend is out there fighting to save your life and all you're doing is worrying him. Wake up," said the mermaid sternly. Lucy nodded. She had to get back to him, even if the fight was already over. "Goodbye and goodluck, Lucy."

Lucy waved as more tears ran down her face. As Aquarius disappeared, light replaced the darkness and she opened her eyes to Natsu leaning over her. Lucy could feel his warm body against hers. "Natsu?" she whispered softly...

(Flash Back End)

The door of the infirmary opened quietly. Lucy looked over to see a very small girl with dark blue hair and Lisanna entering the room. "Hey, Wendy! "Hey, Lisanna!"

"Hey, Lucy, how are you feeling?" the girls said in unison.

"I'm a little nauseous, but I'm okay. How's Natsu?"

"In all honesty, he's a bit shaken. He thought you died out there, and even though you hadn't, it has him worried about how easily he could lose you, how easily we could all lose you," Lisanna said softly.

Lucy's expression turned to sadness. If she _had_ died, what would've happened with Natsu? Would he move on quickly? Would he live in complete sorrow for the rest if his life? No way, she wasn't going to let that happen. She had to make herself stronger. Lucy loved him way too much to just leave him all alone.

Wait, what?! Lucy was shocked at her own thoughts. Did she really just think that?

Yes. Yes she did. Lucy smiled. She did love Natsu, and she had for a while now, so why did it surprise her? Her smile quickly turned grim. "I know," she said sadly. "But that's why I'm going to get stronger, so this doesn't happen again, and so I can stay here with everyone!" Lucy's smile returned as someone else opened the door slowly.

"Lucy?" It was Natsu. Lucy looked over at him and grinned. Lisanna and Wendy nodded at them and walked out of the room. "Hey, how are ya feelin'?"

"Honestly, not bad. I'm just a little nauseous." Lucy said. Natsu sat down at the edge of her bed. He clasped his hands together and looked down.

"I was so scared," he said quietly, his voice shaking. "I though I lost you forever." Lucy sat up and grabbed his hands. He looked up at her.

"I'm still here, Nastu," she replied. Her expression was filled with worry as she saw a tear fall from his cheek.

"I-I can't lose you, Lucy. Not again." Lucy thought back to when they witnessed her future-self die at the hands of future Rogue. She thought back to the pain on Natsu's face and in his voice. Lucy pulled him into a hug.

"You won't, Natsu," she responded gently. He buried his face in her chest. Lucy was debating on whether or not she should tell him she loves him when she heard him mumble something.

"I love you, Lucy." Her heart began beating really fast and her face got red. He loves her, too? Instant relief flooded throughout her body after learning how he felt.

"I love you, too, Natsu." Lucy kissed his forehead gently. After a while, Natsu had to leave with Erza and Gray on some wild mission, but he'd be back as soon as he could.

Lucy nodded and smiled. He was truly the first person she had ever loved like this, and to be honest, she didn't even know what it was at first. It was a warm sensation roaming through her body everytime she and Natsu were together.

But that didn't matter because eventually, she figured out what it was and she couldn't be happier that she felt it

 **Why hello again! So sorry for the wait! I wanted to make this the confession, but I didn't know how I wanted to do it yet. Anyways, its here! Thank you for reading my story, it means a lot to me :D As always, any feedback is welcomed and I'll see you all in the next chapter.**

 **~Panda Where**


	6. The One With The Mission

Chapter 6

(Natsu)

He laid his head on the seat next to him, his face a greenish color from his motion sickness. Erza had asked him to accompany her and Gray on a mission because they were "Fairy Tail's Strongest Team," but they couldn't be complete because another team member was still recovering at the guild hall.

Natsu thought of Lucy and how he told her he loved her. It was true; he loved Lucy, but it was a different kind of love. He didn't love Lucy like he loved Gray and Erza, or Happy and Lisanna. He was _in love_ with Lucy. She was so beautiful, and her heart was always in the right place. She was his rock, his rainbow on cloudy days. She was his everything.

And the fact that she loved him back made it so much sweeter.

They arrived in a small village about two hours from Magnolia. Erza lifted Natsu over her shoulder and walked off the train, Gray following behind them. They were greeted by a small man who appeared to be in his late 50s.

"Are you the wizards from Fairy Tail?" he asked. "My name is James. I'm the one who sent the job request."

"Yes, hello. My name is Erza. My companions are Natsu and Gray. What exactly is the job?"

"The job," said James, "is dangerous, but nothing you wizards can't handle. Recently, a group of wizards from a dark guild have been vandalizing the city and harming citizens."

"And what is the name of this guild?" asked Gray, folding his arms.

"They call themselves _Black Coffin_ ," James said quietly.

Erza set Natsu down. He'd heard of Black Coffin before, but he wasn't sure where they were located. "Where is their guil-" Natsu was cut off by the sound of a screaming. The three wizards raced toward the screaming to find a very young woman lying injured on the ground. Erza crouched next to her while Natsu chased after her attackers, Gray at his heals.

The evil wizards turned into an alley way. As soon as Natsu and Gray arrived, a blast of magic struck them by surprise. Gray pulled Natsu away just in time.

"Listen, uglies, you're gonna pay for all the crap you've put this town through. Fire Dragon iron fist!" Within two seconds, Natsu was in the air speeding towards his enemies. Flames went everywhere as he landed. He took the wizards out in one hit. Well, all but one.

"Did you truly think we were _all_ weak?" the lone wizard laughed. He was tall and wore a dark red cape and a hood that covered his face.

"And just who the hell are you?" Gray asked.

"My identityis none of your concern. Heh. You see, all you need to know is that I'm the man who's going to show you what happens after life ends."

Natsu gasped. All of a sudden, he felt a huge wave of magic power begin to radiate off of the wizard infront of them. He heard Erza running up to meet them, but she stoped dead in her tracks. Natsu knew she felt it, too. Was this the end? There was a flash of something across his mind. No, it was _someone._ _Lucy._

 **Well here's Chapter 6. I wanted to leave it on a cliff hanger because I have so much planned for the next chapter. I also want to clarify that this event is happening a day after Natsu and Lucy's battle with Nuevier. Lucy basically stayed in the guild over night with Mira and Erza asked Natsu to go on the mission the morning after.** **Anyways, thank you for reading and thank you for the feedback! I appreciate it. Also, this is just an AU. All credit is given to Hiro Mashima for creating the universe of Fairy Tail!** **~Panda Where**


	7. The One With The Mission II

Chapter 7

(Natsu)

Lucy was the last thing he thought about before his opponent released an enormous blast of light. Light? Suddenly, he felt as though he was being stabbed in a million different places. Natsu heard his friends behind him screaming in pain.

"That's it! I'm all fired up now!" Natsu got up, hands surrounded by his flames. "I'll show you not to mess with Fairy Tail!" He leapt at his enemy and extended his arm to land a punch on him, but the mysterious man's fist met Natsu's and sent him flying back. "What the hell?"

"Hmph. I thought I told you I wasn't as weak as the others you took down earlier," said the mysterious figure.

"No way," Erza said in disbelief. "Requip!" Her armor changed into something more revealing. It had wings and a long, metal skirt. Swords surrounded her and they all knew what she was going to use; _Heaven's Wheel._ The swords began to spin and launched forward, but their target was way too fast. He dodged the swords and instantly counter attacked. It was another blast of light, but this time it was draining their magic power.

Their enemy laughed. "In a few moments, the two of you who exposed your magic power will be drained of it."

They found themselves on the ground. Gray was the last chance they had. He stood up and put his hands together. "Ice make, Floor!" The ground below the truned to ice and his hooded opponent had slipped. "Ice make, sword!" Gray lept forward to hit the man, but his weapon shattered. The man punched Gray in his stomach, which sent him flying. He was down.

'Oh no,' Natsu thought as the man approached him on the ground. Out of nowhere, there was a flash of light and a large bull with a giant ax slashed at the man followed by a hit from a whip that glowed gold and blue. Natsu's eyes widened. He couldn't believe it. Lucy had come to save them.

(Lucy)

Lucy had a bad feeling about the job her teammates had taken. She had to help them. They were in danger.

"Wendy, I need you to use your magic to heal me. I need to go find Natsu and the others. They're in trouble, I can feel it."

"But, Lucy," replied the young dragon slayer, "You still aren't better."

"I have to be, Wendy. I have to save them." Lucy was anxious, so Wendy agreed. She used a healing spell and Lucy was on her feet, racing out of the guild.

Within two hours she reached the town where Natsu said they were headed. She ran through the town and made it just in time to see a Gray fall next to Natsu and Erza. They're all down?

"Open, Gate of the Golden Bull, Taurus!"

"Miss Luuuuuucy, you're so fine," said Taurus creepily.

"Look, now isn't the time. See that hooded figure down there? He's our target," Lucy ordered as she pulled out her whip. In a flash, she and her spirit partner were standing face to face with their opponent.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Miss Lucy Heartfilia. Great to see you," said the man as he removed his hood to reveal someone she didn't quite recognize.

"Who are you?" Lucy was nervous. How did he know her?

"Let's just say I was once close to your parents. That is, until your mother tragically passed."

"How did you know them?"

"We were business partners until your father screwed me over and tried to have me killed. I swore I'd get my revenge, so I learned magic in order to take him down. Sadly, he met a tragic end as well before I could get to him. So I joined this guild. It must be fate that brought you here today. The universe must've wanted me to get my revenge by taking out the last living Heartfilia!" He laughed wickedly.

"I never knew my father's business partners, but it sounds about right that he'd try to have you killed considering he almost wiped out Fairy Tail in an attempt to bring me home, but I know why he was desperate to do that. The question is, why would he want to kill you?" Lucy stood her ground and kept her voice steady.

"You see, that's something you'll never understand, but I think you at least understand why I feel this need for revenge," he said.

"Yeah, I do, but you're getting revenge on the wrong person," Lucy shouted.

"Yes, but the right person is dead. I thought we went over this," said the man in a very annoyed tone.

"And that's not good enough?" Lucy was furious now. Her blood was boiling and she could feel her power coursing through her veins.

"No, because I wasn't the cause of his death." Mystery man lunged at Lucy, but was stopped by Taurus. The bull swung his ax and sent the man flying back.

"Thanks, Taurus."

"Anything for you, Miss Luuuucy!"

"As strong as you both are, I think you're going to need some backup," said a voice Lucy was relieved to hear.

"Hey there, Loke. Boy, am I glad to see you. I'm sure you already know who our target is."

"Yes," Loke responded.

"Okay, now let's go!" Lucy ran forward alongside her spiritual companions. All at once they hit their opponent with everything they had. He was up against the strongest celestial spirit in the celestial world and his wizard. Their enemy didn't stand a chance.

With all of their powers combined, Lucy, Loke, and Taurus all managed to take down the man who terrorized the town.

"Well, our job is done. Call us again when you need us and we'll be there." Loke and Taurus vanished. Lucy ran to her fallen comrades.

"You saved the day, Luce, " said a weak Natsu beginning to stand.

"Yeah, ya did," Gray and Erza agreed. Lucy smiled and ran to help them stand. When they were stable she went over to Natsu, who threw an arm over her shoulders.

"Thanks, Lucy," he said softly. She kissed his cheek.

"I'll always be here to save you."

The four of them walked to the train station and boarded a train back to Magnolia.

 **There's chapter 7! I apologize if it seems rushed. I'm trying to add adventure, but I'm super excited for the romance to finally begin. As always, thanks for reading and leaving comments. I appreciate it :)**

 **~Panda Where**


	8. The One With The Question

Chapter 8

(Lucy)

A week had passed since she went and saved her friends from that mysterious wizard. It took them a day, but Gray, Erza, and Natsu were back on their feet and ready for another adventure. Lucy, on the other hand, wasn't in the same place. She sat at a table in the guild and watched as Natsu and Gray's bickering turned into a brawl that sent Gray flying back and Natsu laughing. That is, until Gray came back and sent Natsu flying.

Lucy sighed. All she could think about was Natsu. Her feelings for him were growing stronger, and she knew she loved him, but she had no idea where he was when it came to his feelings towards her. Maybe she should ask him about it to see how he felt. Lucy rested her head on her hand when she heard Erza yell something and grab Natsu and Gray to stop them from fighting. "That's enough, you two. I don't want to see you fighting again, am I clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Natsu and Gray replied, their voices heavy with fear. Natsu walked over and sat across from Lucy at her table. She looked up and saw him staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

Natsu tilted his head and frowned. "What's the matter, Luce?"

"Oh, its nothing, Natsu." She grinned.

"You're lying," he said in a serious tone. Lucy was taken back by his statement. How did he know?

"What do you mean I'm _lying?"_

"I mean, I can tell something's bothering you and you're not telling me what it is." Natsu put his hands together and leaned forward. "Now tell me," he said softly. Lucy's face got red, but she gave in. It was Natsu, her best friend.

"Natsu, I was thinking about you and me, and how we said we loved each other the other day..."

"And...?" Natsu looked clueless. Inside, Lucy just wanted to run away from this entire conversation.

"Okay, look. I don't know if its a friendly love... Natsu, I think I'm in love with you." Lucy covered her face. Natsu grabbed her hands and held them.

"Lucy, I'm in love with you, too. And I don't know about you, but I've been thinking about that for a long time now." Natsu squeezed Lucy's hands. She looked at him, silence filling the space between them until she broke it.

"You have no idea how relieved I am to hear that," Lucy said.

"And you have no idea how relieved I am to finally have gotten that off my chest." He laughed slightly. Neither of them had any idea what they were doing, but Natsu leaned closer to her and Lucy did the same until their lips touched. At first, the kiss was soft, but eventually it deepened. Lucy put her hands on Natsu's face and his hands made their way through her hair.

"Wow, who knew they were into each other?" Mira said excitedly.

"I cannot believe it. Natsu and Lucy?!? Such an unlikely pairing, yet somehow it works," Erza said with a smile.

"Got that right," Gray commented. Once they pulled their lips away, Lucy wrapped her arms around Natsu's neck and pulled him into a hug. He held her by her waist, and buried his head in her neck. They stood there for a while, thankful to finally have each other in this way.

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(Natsu)

Natsu's fingers were intertwined with Lucy's as they made their way back to her apartment. When they got to the door, Lucy unlocked it and Natsu followed her inside. She set her keys on a table by the door and Natsu plopped down on her couch. She shook her head and grinned. "You just make yourself comfortable, don't ya?" She walked over and kissed his forehead. He smiled and pulled her down to kiss her lips. Something about their kisses felt so right.

After they pulled away, Lucy went into the kitchen to make dinner when Happy flew in. "Natsu! Natsu! Is it true?!"

"Is what true?" Natsu asked.

"Did you and Lucy kiss?" Happy said in a teasing voice.

"Yeah, Happy. The rumors are true. I kissed _the_ Lucy Heartfilia, twice!" Natsu sounded like he was trying to be cool, but it wasn't working. Happy thought other wise.

"Twice? No way! So are you guys dating?" Natsu looked confused. "Natsu, did you guys not make it official?" Now Happy looked confused.

"I didn't know we had to. I just kinda figured we already were." Natsu scratched the back of his head. "Guess not, huh pal?"

"Natsu, you gotta ask her out. I'm sure after your guys' moments, she'll totally say yes."

"You're right, Happy. I'm gonna ask her. So how should I do it?" Natsu asked his flying friend.

"I don't know. Maybe you should go to her and just ask," Happy replied. Natsu nodded his head.

"I'm gonna ask her right now."

He ran to the kitchen, grabbed Lucy's waist, and pulled her away from what she was doing. Lucy looked annoyed and confused. Natsu let go of her waist and held her hands. He looked down at her and his voice got quiet. "Luce, I want to make this official. I want to make _us_ official, so I wanna know if you'll be my girlfriend." It was quiet for a moment until Lucy finally responded.

"Of course I will." They kissed for the third time that night, but something about this one was different. It was intense and filled with love and compassion. It was long and sensational, the best kiss they've shared, until it was interrupted by the smell of their dinner burning on the stove. Lucy ran to turn off the fire while smoke filled the room. They heard the smoke alarms go off. Natsu laughed as he grabbed a hand towel and waved it in front of the alarm in an attempt to stop the noise.

Once he succeeded, he felt Lucy wrap her arms around him and lay her head on his chest. He returned the gesture by placing one hand on her back and running the other through her beautiful blonde hair. God, he loved her so much. And it was almost like she read his mind because the next words that were spoken were simply, "I love you."

"I love you, too, Luce." With that, Natsu took Lucy's hand and walked her to the living room where Happy greeted them.

"You guys looooooooove each other," he teased.

"Shut it, cat!" Lucy yelled. Natsu laughed then looked outside. It was getting late. Natsu took Lucy's hands and touched his forehead to hers. This entire day had been like a dream.

"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Wait, are you going home, Natsu?"

"Yeah," he hugged Lucy one last time before letting her go for the night.

Or so he thought.

"Natsu, you should stay. I don't mind company." She smiled. Happy instantly started snoozing away on her couch while Natsu and Lucy lay with each other in her bed, Lucy tucked safely in his arms.

Even if they had just started dating, lying next to one another felt so natural and so comforting, especially considering it was how they slept anyways because Natsu was always in Lucy's house. And with that being said, the three of them slept peacefully for the rest of the night.


	9. The One With The Festival In Clover

Chapter 9

(Lucy)

"Natsu, will you hurry up? We need to go to the guild and take a job so we can pay for rent," Lucy called to her very lazy boyfriend. For the past four months, Natsu has basically lived in Lucy's apartment, so his half of the money they make is normally combined with his girlfriend's and is put towards the apartment.

"Can you give me a minute, woman?" Natsu's voice was muffled by the bathroom door, but Lucy heard him loud and clear.

"Excuse me?" Lucy crossed her arms.

"You're excused, ma'am."

"Are you trying to get Lucy kicked?" Happy asked, attempting to hold in his laughter. Lucy arched an eyebrow and smirked.

"Its okay, Happy. I'm sure Gray and Erza will help me. Plus, Natsu is too slow. The entire mission would be over by the time he got there."

"NO WAY AM I GONNA LET THOSE LOSERS SHOW ME UP, NO WAYYY!!!!" Natsu ran out of the bathroom and the apartment. Lucy and Happy laughed.

"Wow, Lucy. That was smart," said Happy.

"I know him like the back of my hand," Lucy replied with a smile. "I knew he'd react like that." The two followed Natsu to the guild hall.

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Lucy looked around the town of Clover. It was beautiful, more so than she thought it would be. She sighed. The air was fresh, the sky was blue, and the sun was shining. There was a slight breeze that blew through Lucy's hair. She looked up at Natsu, whose fingers were intertwined with hers, and smiled. The best part of being in this beautiful town was that she was there experiencing it with the one she loved the most in the world...and their flying companion, who flew just behind them.

They continued walking until they reached their destination; a small shop in the center of the town. It was a lively part town; people were walking and laughing while children were running and playing. Some sort of festival was the source of everyone's excitement. Long streamers and balloons decorated the buildings and ground while lights were strung all around, only meant to be turned on when evening came. Different venders and booths lined the streets, merchants calling for the townsfolk to buy their products.

"Isn't this great, Natsu?" Lucy asked, looking around excitedly.

"Yeah it is," Natsu said, smiling. His smile dropped slightly, but then returned when he said, "We can look around and enjoy ourselves as soon as we finish this job, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Lucy smiled as they walked through the door of the shop. They were greeted by a small, elderly woman behind a counter.

"Why, hello. You must be the wizards from Fairy Tail," said the woman.

"Yes we are." Lucy let go of Natsu's hand and gestured to him and Happy. "These guys are Natsu and Happy, and I'm Lucy," she said kindly.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Luisa," said the old woman. "I suppose you'd like to know more about the job you've taken."

"Yeah, that'd be great," Lucy said.

"Well, here. Follow me." Luisa led them through a door behind the counter. They found themselves in a cozy living room. "Make yourselves comfortable. Anyone want some tea?" she asked sweetly.

"Ooh, Me!" Happy said.

"Yeah, me, too!" Natsu agreed.

"I'll have some." Lucy thanked Luisa for the three of them. Once the woman came back, she handed them each a cup of tea, and kept one for herself.

"The job I have for you is to retrieve a jewel that was stolen from my shop: a red ruby. A few days ago, a group of dark wizards broke in and stole it while I was out getting supplies. Can you do it?"

"Of course we can," Natsu jumped up. "I'm all fired up now!"

"Yeah, me, too," Lucy joined.

"Aye sir!"

"That settles it, then," Lucy said. "We'll have your jewel back in no time."

"Thank you very much. You can find their guild on the outskirts of town." The three wizards nodded and raced out of the door. Time for another battle.

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Lucy stretched. That job was a piece of cake. She, Natsu, and Happy completed it with ease. "Those wizards didn't have anything on Fairy Tail," Lucy said happily.

"I know, right? Just a few hits with my fire and they were out of it," Natsu boasted.

"Not even, Natsu," Lucy giggled. Sagittarius helped, too!"

"Yeah, I guess so," Natsu grinned and took Lucy's hand. She examined the ruby. It was large and shined in the light from the setting sun. It was almost night, which meant the festival was about to be lit up with multi-colored lights! Lucy couldn't wait.

Once they arrived back at the small store, Lucy opened the door slowly. "Luisa, we have the ruby."

"That's wonderful! Thank you so much," Luisa said, running to the door and taking the ruby Lucy was handing her. "And for that, here is your reward." Luisa handed then a small bag. "There's 100,000 jewel. My thanks to you," she smiled.

"Wow, thanks a ton!" Lucy was relived. With 100,000 jewel, she could pay rent and have money to spare for the festival. "Well, we should get going, then. See ya!" Lucy and Natsu waved to Luis as they walked outside. It was finally time to enjoy the festival!

 **Hey again! This is part 1 of a two part chapter. Anyways, Thanks for reading. Comments and feedback are very welcomed. See you all in the next chapter!!!!**

 **~Panda Where**


	10. The One With The Festival In Clover II

Chapter 10

(Natsu)

He looked down at his girlfriend, her eyes bright and filled with excitement as they walked through the town. The lights they had noticed earlier were now turned on, making the town even more beautiful. Natsu smiled at Lucy's excitement and kissed the top of her head. Everything about their time in Clover was perfect; they had an easy job and he was there with the one he loved the most, and his best friend, Happy. Lucy pointed at a particular vender and they walked towards it.

Upon Arriving, Natsu noticed why Lucy had been so drawn to it; the vender was selling magic items and celestial gate keys, which he knew was the one thing that caught her attention. "Natsu, look!"

"Hm?" He looked to where Lucy was pointing. It was a little dragon pin. The dragon's wings were spread and it's nose was pointed in the air to signify that it was roaring. Its scales were dark red.

 _A Fire Dragon._

"It's cool, huh, Natsu?"

Natsu grinned. Everyday, he vowed to train harder and get stronger so he could avenge his father, so he could make Igneel _proud_. "Yeah, it really is." Deep down, his heart hurt, but he knew that Igneel wanted him to remain strong and to never give up.

Natsu heard Lucy ask the merchant how much it would cost for the pin.

"25,000 jewel? You're insane, guy," Lucy said. "I pay 70,000 jewel a month to stay in my apartment, and 45,000 isn't that much of a difference." Lucy placed her hands on her hips.

"Luce, it is a slightly big difference." Natsu put a hand on her shoulder.

"Whose side are you on, Natsu?" Lucy turned to look at him.

"Yours, babe, but it's quite a big jump from 25,000 jewel to 70,000 jewel," Natsu said, waving his hands in the air frantically in his attempt to explain himself. Lucy took her hands off her hips and smiled.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She kissed his lips. After they pulled away, Natsu sighed. Thank God he managed to save himself from a Lucy kick.

"Hey, Natsu, come look at all this tasty food!" Happy said, flying towards the food venders. Natsu's eyes opened wide along with his smile.

"Heck yeah, little buddy! Let's dig in."

"Natsu, don't forget to pay for whatever you get!" Lucy called as Happy and Natsu continued on their mission to get to the delicious food.

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Natsu belched. That was one of the best meals he'd ever had. Well, besides when Lucy cooked for him. He looked up from the table he was sitting at and noticed said girl approaching them with a wide grin on her face. "Hey, Luce. Where have you been?"

"I was just looking around," she said.

"You aren't hungry?"

"Not really." Lucy yawned. As beautiful as Clover was, and as much as Natsu knew she wanted to stay, it was probably time to call it a night and head home. Natsu stood up and took Lucy's hand as they called for Happy, who was already asleep on the table. Lucy picked him up with her free hand and carried him. "Natsu, its late. Should we just get a hotel room?"

"Yeah, I guess we could do that and just leave tomorrow morning," Natsu agreed. It sounded like a _much_ better idea that riding the death contraption while his belly was overfilled with food.

They walked to the nearest hotel. Natsu noticed that a clock on the wall had both hands pointing to the 10. He remembered back to when Erza taught him to read time, read words, and to write. _It was 10:50 p.m.,_ he concluded.

They approached the receptionist at the front desk and Natsu asked for a room. After he got a key, he led his companions down the hall until they reached it. He unlocked the door and walked inside. It was cozy; there was a neatly made bed, an old, brown desk with a matching chair, an old sofa, and a communication lacrima incase they needed to contact anyone. Lucy lay Happy on the sofa as Natsu made his way to the bed. He was exhausted from all the good food he ate. He lay down.

"Natsu, scoot," Lucy said as she untucked the blankets from under the mattress on her side so she could lie down. Natsu did as he was told and moved away from her side. Once Lucy climbed into the bed, Natsu turned off the lights and they went to sleep.

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(Lucy)

 _It was normal until the mysterious figure had appeared. Then everything began to darken until she couldn't see. What was this? Lucy's eyes widened as she realized what was happening. That mysterious figure wasn't so mysterious after all._

 _"Welcome back, blondie," Nuevier said in a wicked tone. How the hell did she get back here? Nuevier was dead, right?_

 _"What's going on?" Lucy asked, fearing that she was possibly dying outside of this-, whatever this was._

 _"Don't you remember? It's just like last time, only now your friend isn't here to save you." Lucy looked down at the body that appeared before her. It belonged to someone she knew well. He had pink hair._

 _"Natsu!!" she yelled as she ran to his lifeless corpse. "Natsu, please get up! I need you!" Tears streamed down her face as she tried to shake him out of it, but it wasn't working. Suddenly, Natsu disappeared along with Nuevier, and she was alone and terrified._

Lucy woke up with a jolt. She sat up and looked over at Natsu. Making sure he was still alive, she nudged him and he rolled over. The thing was, he was already so close to the edge, so when he rolled over, he fell off. "Ow, dammit," he said. Lucy giggled as relief flowed through her body. Natsu's eyes met hers. "Hey, Luce. Are you okay? Did I wake you?"

"No, no. I had a bad dream is all." Natsu climbed back into bed.

"About what?" he asked.

"I was under the spell Nuevier put on me. Then you appeared, but you weren't breathing and I couldn't feel your heart beat. I was terrified. It all felt so real and so painful." Tears rolled down Lucy's face as Natsu wrapped his two strong arms around her body and pulled her closer to him.

"Well, I'm still here, Luce, and as long as I am, nothing will ever happen to you." She wrapped her arms around his body and nuzzled her face into his neck. Whenever she's with Natsu, she knows she'll always be safe.

"I love you, Natsu,"

"I love you, too, Luce."

"And I love fish," Happy chimed in.

"How long have you been awake, Happy?" Natsu asked with a confused expression on his face.

"Since your loud ass thumped onto the floor," Happy replied.

"Hey, I was sleeping! It wasn't my fault!"

"Suuure it wasn't," Happy teased. He and Lucy began to laugh at Natsu's look of annoyance.

"You are pretty loud, my love," Lucy giggled a bit.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Natsu hugged her tighter and closed his eyes, still annoyed with the situation.

"Goodnight, Happy," Lucy called to the sofa where he was sleeping.

"Goodnight, Lucy," Happy said back. She smiled and kissed Natsu's jaw. She wasn't going to have anymore nightmares tonight.

 **Hello, hello, hello! There's chapter 10! This one is cute and I really do like it. Also I'm really hyped for the rest of the story. I have big things planned.**

 **Anyways, thank you so much for reading this. Seeing how many people bookmark and love my story motivates me to continue and it makes me feel great about writing it.**

 **I also want to quickly apologize if it seems rushed or too wack to read. Little grammatical errors always manage to get past me xD**

 **~Panda Where**


	11. The One With The Anniversary

Chapter 11

(Lucy)

"That's it, Ice Princess. You're goin' down." Natsu raised his fist at Gray.

"Yeah, right, Flame-Brain," Gray said, aggressively hitting his forehead on Natsu's. Natsu punched Gray in his gut and sent him flying. Once Gray was back on his feet, he returned the gesture and sent Natsu flying. He landed behind Mira's counter.

"Why, I outta-." Natsu cut himself off and leapt towards Gray. Lucy sighed.

"Those boys are out of control, aren't they?"

"Yes, but we love them," Lisanna said, patting Lucy's back as she walked up. Lucy turned around and hugged her.

"Hey, Lis. How have you been?" Lucy asked Lisanna. She grinned at Lucy.

"I've been working hard. I went on a job with Elfman and he just about destroyed the entire town," Lisanna giggled.

"Sounds like Natsu," Lucy huffed. "Everytime we go on a job, it's always overkill."

"Hey, speaking of Natsu, isn't your guys' one year coming up?" Mira asked.

"Yeah, but he probably forgot. It's okay, though. I just have to keep reminding myself how much I love him," Lucy said jokingly.

"I'm sure he remembers. He's just preoccupied with fighting his rivals here at the guild," said Lisanna. "He loves you more than anything, so there's no way he'd forget something as big as your anniversary." Lucy leaned her head on her hand.

"I guess you're right," Lucy smiled. At that moment, the three girls' conversation was interrupted by Erza yelling at the boys and them apologizing. They looked over and saw an annoyed Natsu walking up to them. He gave Lucy a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, guys."

"Hey, Natsu," said Lisanna and Mira.

"Hi, honey," Lucy said, smiling at Natsu.

"What goes on?" he asked.

"Nothin'. Just talking," Lisanna said.

"Hey, I'm going to go look for Levy. I have to talk to her about a book she lent me," Lucy said as she walked away. She scanned the guild until she caught sight of the blue-haired bookworm sitting at a table with Gajeel and Pantherlily. Levy and Gajeel had been together since they fought Tartaros, so it was no surprise she'd find them together. "Hey, Levy. I've been meaning to ask you about the book you let me borrow."

"Ask away, Lu. I'm all ears," Levy said cheerfully. The two began chatting away while Gajeel lay his head on the table, imagining himself up onstage performing in front of the entire guild.

' _Shoo-be doo-bop.'_ He hid a smile as he thought about his song. No one in the guild understood his talent and it made him angry. Oh well. Not everyone could appreciate the art of music and all of his singing skills. Especially not that Salamander. Suddenly, he felt Levy's hand continuously run through his hair and he drifted off to sleep.

Mean while...

(Natsu)

"You mean to tell me you actually forgot about your one year anniversary with Lucy?" Lisanna smacked Natsu's arm. "Natsu!"

"Geez, I'm sorry. Time just went by so quickly."

"You need to get her something," Mira said.

"Yeah, I know, but what do I get her?" Natsu asked nervously, afraid of getting slapped again.

"Natsu, you know her better than anyone else. What does she like to do?" Lisanna asked.

"I got it." Natsu snapped his fingers in the air. "Everytime we pass this bookstore, she always points out the same book and says how badly she wants to read it."

"Natsu, that's perfect! Now hurry up. According to Lucy, your anniversary is two days away," Lisanna informed.

"Okay," Natsu said as he ran out of the guild hall. He searched Magnolia for the bookstore. Once he found it, he walked in and asked the clerk for the book. "Excuse me, do you happen to know if you have a book called... called... Dammit, I forgot the name, but it's the one always in the window."

"Sir, there are many in the window. Could you point it out perhaps?" the clerk asked kindly. She was a young girl, possibly Wendy's age. She had long brown hair and dark blue eyes. The store must've been family owned since a girl so young was working there.

"Yeah, sure," Natsu said as he walked towards the window and grabbed the book. "This one."

"Oh, my! That's such a wonderful book! I've read it four times since it arrived in our store. You're going to love it," the girl said happily.

"Well, it's actually for my girlfriend," Natsu said. "Everytime we pass this place, she always mentions how badly she wants this book, though I don't know why she hasn't bought it already." Suddenly, his eyes widen at the realization that she may have the book. "You know what, I think I'm going to hold off on the book," he smiled nervously.

"Well, thank you for looking. Come back if your girlfriend ever wants a new book," the girl said cheerfully.

Natsu walked out of the store and ran back to the guild hall. "Where's Levy? I need to talk to Levy," he said, sounding very out of breathe.

"Over here, Natsu." Levy waved him over. "What do you need?"

Natsu asked Levy if she knew whether or not Lucy had the book he was going to get for her. "I think she does, Natsu," Levy said sadly. "Sorry about that."

"Its okay. I'm just going to have to think of something else."

That night, Natsu spent almost five hours thinking about what he was going to get Lucy. When he finally had an idea, he rearranged plans to get it the next day.

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The Anniversary...

"Luce, can you hurry up? We are going to be late?" Natsu called to his girlfriend of officially one year.

"Wow, Natsu. Since when are you so worried about time?"

"Since I fell in love and picked up some of your habbits," he smiled. Natsu looked hot when he was all cleaned up. He wore a sleek black suit with a red button up underneath his coat. His hair was messy, but in a way that complimented his formal clothing choice.

"Yeah, yeah," Lucy grinned. She looked hot, too. Her hair was up in a messy bun with two strands of curly hair falling on either side of her face. Her makeup was done to match her dark red dress that had a slit going up to her hip. She was finishing putting the backs on her dangly earrings. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Wow, you look great," Natsu said, putting his arm out for Lucy.

"You look even better," she replied, grabbing her purse and taking his arm.

"Have fun, you two," Happy said.

"Oh, Happy, what are you going to be doing while we're gone?" Lucy asked, slightly worried he was going to cause trouble.

"Don't worry. I'm going to stay at Wendy and Carla's house so we can leave early on a mission tomorrow."

"Okay, little buddy. Be safe and have fun," Natsu said as they all walked out of the apartment.

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At the restaurant, the two were seated immediately thanks to Lucy making reservations two hours before they left. It was nice; the tables covered by a sheet of glass with table cloths underneath them. There were small lamps that hung over them, making the restaurant dark and fancy looking. Natsu looked at Lucy, who was looking at her menu. She was so beautiful, and he was so excited to give her his present. "Hey, Luce?"

"What is it, Natsu?" Lucy said, looking up from the menu.

"This entire year with you has been the best yet. You're amazing and I'm one hell of a lucky guy to have been able to share it with you." Natsu grabbed Lucy's hands and planted a kiss on each one. "I love you, Luce."

"Awwww, Natsu!" Lucy reached across the table and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you, too!" She kissed his lips. He watched as she pulled out a box from heher purse. "I know we wanted to wait to exchange gifts until after dinner, but I just can't help myself." She handed him the box. It was a long, black box that soft velvet on it. He opened the lid to reveal a necklace with a pink Fairy Tail emblem on the front of it. Natsu turned the necklace over and found letters embroidered on the back of it.

They read:

 _"Her Dragon_

 _L.H. "_

Natsu looked at the necklace in shock as he took the necklace from the box and put it on. "Wow, Luce. I love it. Thank you," He said, as he reached in his pocket to retrieve a box similar to the on she gave him. Lucy opened the box to see a necklace almost identical to the one she had gotten Natsu, only the emblem on the front was red and the words on the back read:

 _His Princess_

 _N.D."_

They both sat there in shock. How did that happen? "Natsu, did you find your present early and make mine match?"

"N-No, I have no idea how this happened," Natsu said. "I thought about what to get you all night until I figured it out. That necklace was the end result." Suddenly, after quite some time of silence, they broke out into laughter. They knew each other so well.

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 **Hey guys! There's chapter 11! I want to let all of you, my lovely readers, know in advance that in the next chapter will be a time skip. However, I won't say how long or why ;)**

 **Anyways, Thanks for reading. To everyone that has loved my story and bookmarked it, you're the only reason why I've continued this story as long as I have. You've all boosted my confidence in writing and my want to get better at it. I thank each and every one of you for taking time out of your day to read this.**

 **Thank you,**

 **~Panda Where**


	12. The One With The Fight

Chapter 12

(Natsu)

He looked around the guild in search of a worthy opponent. His eyes landed on a particular iron dragon slayer. _Perfect._ Natsu stalked over to Gajeel, fired up and ready for a fight. "Hey, iron face! I wanna fight, so let's go!"

"Not now, Salamander," Gajeel said coldly as Levy came up and grabbed his hand. "Levy and I are going on a job with Lily." The three of them walked towards the guild entrance and out onto the streets of Magnolia. Natsu looked around for Gray, maybe even Laxus, but neither of them were around. The fire wizard sat down at the bar and leaned his head on his hand.

"Natsu? Is everything alright?" Mirajane asked.

"Not really. Lucy and I got into a fight last night and so I was looking for a fight with Gajeel or Gray to clear my head, but they've left on jobs. I'd go on a job myself, but what if Lucy comes back so we can talk things through?" Natsu sighed.

"What was the fight about and where did Lucy go?" Mira asked, her voice filled with concern. "It had to have been pretty bad if it made her leave."

"I don't know, but it was a bad fight." Natsu began explaining what happened.

(The Previous Night)

 _"Natsu, how many times have I told you, I can handle my own in battle." Lucy crossed her arms._

 _"Lucy, you could've been killed. Ever since the whole ordeal with Nuevier, I've been terrified that I'll lose you." Natsu said as he sat on the bed._

 _"Natsu, that was three years ago. I've gotten stronger and I did just fine today."_

 _"Just fine?" Natsu stood up, his voice slowly filling with the right amount of anger to match Lucy's. "You were almost hit with a powerful blast of magic power."_

 _"See? 'Almost,' Natsu, meaning that I'm fine." Lucy waved her arms around to bring attention to her uninjured body._

 _"Fine or not, I don't want you getting hurt."_

 _"Natsu, we are a team. I get that you don't want me getting hurt, but what about you? You get hurt all the time. What do you think that does to me?"_

 _Natsu looked down at his feet. He clenched his fists, anger and hurt flowing through his body._ _"Look, I know it hurts you, but-,"_

 _"But what, Natsu?"_

 _He was quiet for a moment._ _"I don't want you going on_ big or dangerous _missions anymore."_

 _"You know what, Natsu?" Lucy started with tears in her eyes and anger in her voice. "I know you save me a lot, but I want you to think about all the times I've saved your ass." She grabbed her keys and stormed out the door, leaving Natsu all alone in their apartment._ _Why he didn't go after her, he'll never know._

(Present Day)

"Natsu, I can see why she's mad at you," Mira said.

"I know. I can, too. I was such an idiot. Lucy is strong and capable of protecting herself, and even me at times," Natsu said sadly, regretting ever doubting her abilities. "Like when she took out not one, but _two_ demons gates on her own. Or when she saved me, Erza, and Gray from that dark wizard. Or even when she saved us all from eclipse."

"I'm sure everyone here can agree Lucy is powerful and intelligent, but I can also see why you want to protect her," replied the takeover mage. "You just want to keep her safe so you don't lose her."

"I know, Mira. I want to fix things with her, but I don't even know where she went, let alone if she wants to. Hell, we've been together for three years and I'm about to lose her in one day." Tears welled in Natsu's eyes at the thought of her leaving his life. His blood started to boil at the thought of someone else sweeping her off of her feet and taking her from him...

 _No way._

Natsu was on his feet running out of the guild after his dragon senses picked up her sent and her voice. She was in danger. Natsu followed the sent until he reached a forest. _Where the hell was he?_ He had run for so long that he'd lost track of where he had gone. That didn't really matter at the moment, though. Lucy's sent was getting stronger and stronger each step he took past the large trees. Another scream rang in his ears as his picked up the pace. He was so preoccupied with finding Lucy that he had stumbled over a root sticking up from the ground. That's when he sensed the dark presence. Natsu got up and continued on running until he finally reached an open area. He looked around until he spotted the familiar blonde slung over the shoulder of a shadow.

 _A shadow?_

"Lucy!" Natsu ran as fast as he could to her. He lost his footing and fell to the ground once again. Everything around him started to fade and disappear, including the shadow and Lucy. _What's happening?_ Natsu pounded his fists on the ground, tears falling from his eyes. "Lucy!"

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(Lucy)

That night after her fight with Natsu, Lucy made her way to Fairy Hills where Erza, Wendy, and the other Fairy Tail women lived. Once she arrived, she was greeted by a familiar face. "Hello, Lucy," Wendy said with a smile.

"Hey, Wendy," Lucy replied, hugging the not-so-young dragon slayer. Wendy had grown up quite a bit in the last three years. She'd grown to be as tall as Lucy and her body had matured. She still had her caring personality and strong ambitions to protect her comrades, though.

"Where's Natsu?" Lucy also noted that Wendy's voice had changed a bit.

"He and I had a fight." Lucy tugged at her hair in frustration as she explained it all to the blue haired girl infront of her.

"Sounds to me like he just wants to keep you safe, but he seemed out of line to have tried to restrain you from going on bigger missions."

"I know. I just feel like I can't grow as a wizard with him constantly jumping in when its clearly unnecessary," Lucy said, dropping her hands to her sides. "Not only that, but he doesn't even think about _my_ feelings when he goes and does something stupid."

"Lucy, Natsu sees a future with you and if something happened, that wouldn't be possible. I know he puts himself in dangerous situations, but he is time after time unaffected by many things he should've been. Like, Erza told me about the time when he started eating the Tower of Heaven for power, and how he saved her afterwards."

"He was being reckless, as usual," Lucy sighed. "But I get what you're saying." A faint smile appeared on her lips.

"Maybe you should talk to him," Wendy suggested.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Lucy sighed thinking about the fight. She loved him more than she'd ever loved anyone and it wasn't fair to him that she left without fixing things. "He'll probably be at the guild hall tomorrow, so let's go then."

"Okay! I'll go with you because I have to take a job, but you can stay here tonight if you'd like."

"Yeah, thanks." The two girls walked into Wendy's room and Lucy passed out right away from exhaustion.

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The following afternoon, Lucy entered the guild hall, confident and relieved of her anger. She scanned the room until she caught sight of her sleeping boyfriend at the bar. She grinned, though she was suddenly nervous. What did she have to be nervous about? This was Natsu. He loved her, right? She shook the question from her head. Of course he did. They loved each other. Lucy made her way to him and tapped on his shoulder, causing him to jump up from his sleep. He looked at her with wide eyes. His cheeks were wet with tears.

"Lucy..." he said, unsure of how to react. He dried his face.

"Look, Natsu. About last night, I'm sorry I left before I could resolve things with you."

"No, no. Don't worry about it." He smiled faintly.

"Is something wrong?" Lucy asked.

"Its just, I could've swore I saw you get taken away by a shadow," he said, obviously confused.

"Natsu, what are you taking about?" said a slightly annoyed Lucy.

"I must've been dreaming," he said shaking his head as if to wipe away the memory of his dream.

"That's okay, Natsu. Anyways, I want to let you know that I understand why you want me safe, but I need you to understand that I can't grow as a wizard if you don't give me a chance to."

"You're right, Luce. I was wrong to try and keep you from doing bigger missions. I don't know what I was thinking."

"How about we work as a _team_ from now on," Lucy said with a smile.

"Yeah, I'd love that," Natsu said, pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her head.

"I love you, Natsu."

"I love you, too, Luce."

The two shared a kiss and remained in each other's arms for a while until Gajeel and Gray walked through the door. Natsu let go of Lucy and, with a smile on his face, yelled, "I'm all fired up now."

Lucy laughed as she watched the three of them brawl. "Hey, Lu," Levy said walking up. "They're idiots, huh?" she said, gesturing to the guys with a smile.

"Yes, but they're _our_ idiots," Lucy replied with a giggle.

"You can say that again," said Juvia as she approached her friends.

"Hey, Juvia. Long time no see," said Lucy and Levy as they hugged the water mage.

"Too long. Let's catch up," Juvia insisted. The three girls walked to the bar, laughing as Erza jumped into the fight with the boys, which ended in her beating up all three of them and completely ending the fight.

Natsu walked up to them and pulled Lucy into a long kiss. When they pulled away, Lucy lay her head on his chest and smiled. _'Everything is okay now. I love my dumb dragon and he loves me,'_

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 **Heyya! How's it goin', groovy gang? With this chapter, its not too important to the storyline other than the length of time Natsu and Lucy have been together, but I figured it'd be a cool way to spice things up a bit. Also, Juvia!!!**

 **Personally, I love Juvia and I'm glad I was able to work her into this, even if it were only for a few lines, but that means I can work her into the rest of the story, so be expecting more of her as well as Wendy and other characters.**

 **Also, I want to give a huuuuge thanks to Shayna** **and Larissa for leaving comments**. **I appreciate you both!!!**

 **'til the next chapter!!**

 **~Panda Where**


	13. The One With The Surprise

Chapter 13

(Natsu)

It was a normal day in Magnolia; everyone in the town was going about their day casually. Well, everyone except Natsu. You see, he had a plan. It was a poorly thought out plan, but he'd be damned if it wasn't a plan. A plan for what exactly? It was for something special.

Natsu was gonna ask Lucy to marry him.

When he told Mirajane, she just about flew across the counter of the bar to bombard the fire wizard with questions regarding how he was going to do it, when, and where. Erza, on the other hand, was already thinking about the wedding cake, her mouth watering at the thought of a perfectly made strawberry cake. Gray and Gajeel wished Natsu luck and said that they hope Lucy doesn't reject him. Lisanna made sure several times that he had a ring after remembering he'd forgotton their first two anniversaries.

Today marked four years of the Dragon being with his Princess.

He caught Lucy's sent, but noted a slight change in it. Then he caught sight of her entering the guild. Running up to her, he paused, admiring the way she glowed in the light of the setting sun. Her long blonde hair fell perfectly down her back and her chocolate brown eyes shone with excitement as she ran towards him. "Happy four years, my love!" she shouted as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"And many more to come," he whispered as he held onto her waist and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Are you okay, Natsu?" Lucy asked, concern filling her voice.

"I'm fantastic," he said with a wide grin. The truth was that he was far from fantastic. He was afraid that when he popped the question, she'd reject him and ruin what they have.

"Good," she said with a smile. "I have something I have to tell you, but we don't need to worry about it now."

"Are you sure? If you want, we can go home early."

"Actually, I wanted to see if you'd like to go on a quick job with me. All we have to do is relay a message for a client."

"Okay," he said nervously. She grabbed his hand and they walked out of the guild.

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"What do you mean you're only paying 2,000 jewel. Your flyer clearly said 6,000!" Lucy yelled angrily as their client raise his hands. "We did everything we were supposed to."

"Ah, yes. You see, I decided that 6,000 jewel was just too much money for one small job," their client, a tall, scrawny man, grinned mischievously.

"Why, I outta-," Lucy raised her fists, ready to lunge at the guy, but stopped suddenly. She heaved a sigh. "Look, you can either pay us the full amount, or we're going to go back and burn that damn letter."

"Burn it. The information has already been passed on."

"Hey man, we don't want any trouble, and you don't want to piss me off, so pay us the 6,000 and we'll be on our way," Natsu said, turning his fists into flames.

"Oh my, a fire wizard! I'm so scared," the man said sarcastically. He put his hands on his face.

"That's it!" Natsu punched the wall, forming a large hole where his hand hit. The room shook from the force.

"Y-yeah, okay," the man waved his hands out in front of him. He handed the two a small bag. Natsu opened it and grinned. _7,000_ jewel.

"Pleasure doin' business with ya!" Natsu took Lucy's hand and headed to the road to Magnolia.

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"Lucy, have you seen my toothbrush?" Natsu called from the bathroom.

"Natsu, why can't you ever put it back in the holder when you're done using it?" Lucy asked as she put the back on her earring. The two were about to go on their fourth anniversary dinner. "You know, Natsu," Lucy said walking into the bathroom. "I love you and all of your unorganized-ness."

"And I love you for all of your organized-ness."

Lucy grinned. "Okay, now hurry up or we're gonna be late."

"Yeah, yeah," Natsu said. He was so nervous that it was difficult for him to button up his dress shirt because of his shaking hands. Why was he so worried? Lucy loved him, right? There's no way she'd say no... right?

"Natsu, hurry up!" Lucy called from the living room. She was getting very annoyed with the dragon slayer.

"I'm coming!" Natsu called, jogging out of the bathroom. He stopped when he saw her and smiled. Confidence flowed through him after she pulled him into a kiss.

"You look handsome, honey," Lucy said.

"You look beautiful, babe," Natsu replied. "Now, let's get going."

"Okay," she replied, walking outside of their apartment.

"Bye, Happy," they called to a sleeping blue cat. Lucy closed the door and locked it. Natsu held out his arm, which Lucy looped her own through, and they were on their way.

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He looked up from his menu.

"Sir? Sir?" said their waiter.

"Natsu, are you alright?" Lucy asked shaking his arm.

"Yeah, I'm good," He replied. His mind was racing as it filled with ideas for his proposal to Lucy. "I must've spaced out," he said.

"Sir what would you like to order?" asked their waiter.

"I'll have the steak with steamed vegetables and a baked potato, please," Natsu grinned.

"Yes, right away!" Their server took their menus and and made his was to the kitchen.

"What happened, Natsu? You've never done that before," Lucy said.

"The truth is, I was thinking," Natsu said, grabbing his girlfriend's hands. "I was thinking about how crazy I am about you, and how I couldn't even imagine spending every day and every night of the rest of my life with someone else." Natsu stood up and walked over to Lucy's side of the table. He reached into his pocket and knelt down.

"Lucy Heartfilia, will you marry me?"

"Oh, Natsu...," Lucy covered her mouth, tears welling in her eyes. "Of course I will!" She threw her arms around his neck. "But I have to tell you something."

"What is it?" Natsu looked up at her.

"Natsu, I'm... I'm pregnant."

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 **Howdy, howdy. Hope you all enjoyed chapter 13 mwahahahaha.**

 **I thought it'd be cool as the writer to leave this chapter on a cliff hanger. Like, what's Natsu's reaction going to be? Is he still going to want to marry Lucy? Stay tuned...**

 **Lol, enough of that. Sorry for the late update. I've been so preoccupied with studying for my finals, but I thank you all for your patience and I hope you're all enjoying the story so far.** **I also apologize for any grammatical errors.**

 **As always, thank you for favoriting and bookmarking this story. Feedback is welcome and I'll see you all in the next chapter! Bye-ya!**

 **~Panda Where**


	14. The One With The Announcement

Chapter 14

(Lucy)

She looked at him waiting for a response. His eyes had grown very wide. Fear had began to grow in Lucy's chest. She had been nervous to tell him, but his current lack of a reaction had tripled that nervousness. Then, a smile slowly formed on his face. _Thank God,'_ she thought as she returned his gesture with a smile of her own.

"We're having a baby... WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!" Natsu jumped up and pulled Lucy with him. They were going to be parents. "I'M GOING TO BE A DAD!" He picked her up and spun her around a few times before setting her back down. She watched him lovingly as he settled down from his excitement and leaned his forehead against hers. "You're going to be the mother of my child," he said softly.

"Yeah," Lucy replied quietly as tears fell down her face. Natsu leaned back and grabbed the ring he proposed to her with from its box and placed it on her finger.

"You're also going to be my beautiful bride."

That was all Lucy could take. She began sobbing incredibly loud as she grabbed Natsu's face and pulled him into a passionate kiss. He rested his hands on her hips until they heard the entire restuarant begin to applaud the scene. Did they seriously forget where they were? Many shouts of 'congratulations' and 'woohoo's' were given to them by the servers and customers as the two sat back down to enjoy the rest of their meal.

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(Erza)

She was walking to the bar when she heard a familiar Dragon slayer approaching the guild hall followed by the sound of his blonde partner yelling at him to slow down. Confused, but intrigued, Erza slowly made her way to the entrance.

"Natsu... please... slow... down," Lucy said in between breaths.

"No way, we have to hurry so we can tell everyone!" Natsu and Lucy burst through the doors of the guild. Erza stopped in her tracks.

"What's the matter with you two?" Erza asked, obviously frustrated,yet curious.

"We have an announcement to make," Lucy said. Natsu grabbed her hand and smiled at her before turning back to address the rest of the guild.

"Everyone, Lucy and I-"

"We're engaged!" Lucy cut him off, excitedly holding her left hand out for everyone to see her engagement ring. Everyone cheered; Gajeel and Gray congratulated Natsu while Levy, Erza, Juvia, Mira, and Lisanna ran to see Lucy's ring.

"Thank you, everyone, but that's not all we have to say." Natsu's smile widened as he placed a hand on Lucy's stomach. "Lucy is pregnant with _my_ baby," he said proudly. The guild's shouts grew louder as everyone's excitement levels ran through the roof. A baby was going to be there in nine months and Natsu and Lucy were going to get married!

"Oh my goodness, Lu! How long have you known about the baby?" asked Levy. Everyone else leaned in to hear what she had to say.

"Well, I've known for about a week. However, I've been having morning sickness for the past month, so I finally went to Porlyusica's and she told my I was one month pregnant," Lucy explained. That meant that instead of nine months, it was only going to be eight before their baby would be welcomed into the world.

Erza was ecstatic! She was going to be an auntie! Well, most of the women in Fairy Tail were going to be, but it was still incredible.

Erza stepped back to examine Lucy. Even though she was only one month pregnant, it was obvious that her stomach had grown slightly. How did anyone not notice?! Erza walked over and placed a hand on Natsu's shoulder. "You're going to make a great husband and father, y'know."

"Thanks, Erza," Natsu said. "Say, when is that boyfriend of yours going to propose to you?"

"B-Boyfriend?!? Natsu, what are you talking about?" Erza asked, her face turning a darker red than her hair.

"You know, that one guy with the blue hair."

"Do you mean Jellal?" Lucy asked.

"Who else would he be talking about, Lu. He and Erza are totally in love," Levy replied.

"N-No we a-aren't," Erza said, running out of the guild. She could still hear the laughs of her guild mates. ' _I'm really going to kill Natsu,_ ' she thought to herself while trying to suppress a laugh.

 _Oh Natsu._

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(Lucy)

The walk back to their apartment was oddly quiet, but it gave her time to think about the events of the previous evening.

(Flashback)

 _After arriving back home from their dinner, she sat on the edge of her bed thinking about what it would be like when they finally became parents in eight months.That is, until she was interrupted by her fiancee._

 _"What are you thinking about, Luce?" He asked, raising his hand to her face and tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear._

 _"I'm thinking about the future... Well, our future, really. Natsu, are we really ready to be parents? We aren't even married yet."_

 _"Lucy, ready or not, we don't have much of a choice. You have an innocent being growing inside of you that we created. We couldn't just let that go," Natsu replied._

 _"I know, I'd never want to let it go, but what if we aren't the parents it needs?" Lucy put her hands on her thighs and sighed._

 _"We might not be, but we will try our best. By the way, where is all of this coming from, Luce?"_

 _"I don't know. Maybe I've just been nervous lately. I want our child to live the life we never got to. I don't want him or her to live without their parents to protect and guide them, Natsu."_

 _"Lucy, honey, they will always be taken care of. As long as we live and the guild is still around, they will always be loved and protected. I promise."_

 _Lucy smiled. "I love you with my entire heart and soul," she said._

 _"And I love you more than that times five," Natsu replied with a wide grin._

 _"Not possible."_

 _"It is very."_

 _"Prove it," she said, pulling his face closer to hers._

 _"Okay," he responded, filling the space between them._

(End of Flashback)

She looked up at Natsu then down at their intertwined hands. He had such a way with words. It was truly incredible to think about the fact that she loved him so much, she couldn't even imagine herself being with anyone other than him. He was truly the best thing that had ever happened to her. And she had partially _his_ child growing inside of her. That thought alone gave her all of the confidence in the world.

When they got home, Natsu immediately jumped into their bed and passed out. Lucy, on the other hand, took her time to get ready and change into her pjs. When she finished she lay next to him and turned off the lamp on her bedside table.

After a few minutes of laying in the dark, she looked over at Natsu. His eyes were closed, but something told her he wasn't asleep.

"Natsu?"

"Yes, Luce?"

"Promise you'll always stay by my side?"

"I promise."

"Forever, Natsu?"

"Forever, Lucy."

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 **Howdy again, buckos. Sorry for the short chapter. I didn't want to go deeper and start up anything new in this chapter because it was meant to just be the announcement of Lucy's pregnancy.**

 **Now I know that Natsu and Lucy being engaged was a part of the announcement, but technically everyone in the guild was already aware of his plans to propose anyways, so it was mostly for their reaction to the pregnancy.**

 **Also, just to spice things up, I added a hint of regret and fear in the form of Lucy and her unborn child, so I hope that was interesting.**

 **As always, thank you for reading. See ya in the next chapter!!!**

 **~Panda Where**


	15. The One With The Gender Reveal Part I

Chapter 15

(Natsu)

He hadn't seen Lucy much lately. He would spend some time with her when she got home from planning their wedding with the girls, but being three months pregnant with their child really took the energy out of her. That night, however, he decided that he was tired of not getting to see her.

"Natsu?" Lucy called from the kitchen. He walked to where she was, which was making them two, and Happy, dinner.

"Yes, Luce?" Natsu said, leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed.

"Can I talk to you?" she asked, turning away from the stove.

"Of course. What's up?" he said, standing up straight and unfolding his arms.

"I've been really missing you lately, and I hate not seeing you all the time, so I wanted to see if you would like to help with the planning."

 _'She's tired of it, too,'_ Natsu thought to himself. "Of course I would. After all, it's going to be the most special day of our lives. Well, besides the birth of our baby," he said, placing two hands on her belly. It had grown quite a bit within the two months they've known about the pregnancy, and the three months over all, but it wasn't very big yet. Oh, how he couldn't wait until his baby was born.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you, we have the appointment with Porlyusica tomorrow to find out whether of not the baby is a boy or girl," Lucy said, turning back to the stove.

Natsu's eyes lit up with excitement! "I want her to be a girl."

"I don't know. I feel like it's a boy," Lucy said.

"Either way, I'm going to love him or her all the same," Natsu smiled. He kissed her cheek as she handed him a plate of his now-cooked meal. "All compliments to the beautiful chef."

"Why, thank you, my love. Happy! Dinner!" Lucy called to the lazy blue cat on the sofa.

"Aye sir! Don't have to tell me twice." Lucy had "made" a special dinner for him. (Really, it was just thawed fish from their freezer that Happy had caught the day before.) "Thanks, Lucy!"

"Anytime," she said as she began eating her own dinner.

After they finished, Natsu and Lucy cleaned up and got ready for bed. They had a big day tomorrow.

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Natsu jumped with excitement. He couldn't believe it! He had found out the gender of his child. The only problem was that Lucy made him promise not to say anything because she wanted to have a party.

"Natsu, you can't tell anyone what we are having. I want to talk to the girls and have a gender reveal party at the guild hall tomorrow," said his fiancee.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied.

At the guild, Natsu made his way to Gray and punched him so hard that he flew to the opposite end of the hall. He laughed. "What the hell man?" asked Gray, anger heavily coating his voice.

"Let's fight, Popsicle. I'm all fired up now!" Natsu said. Suddenly, he was knocked down to the floor. He sat up and rubber his head.

"That's enough, you two. We can't have any fighting while Lucy is pregnant," Erza said sternly, scaring the two boys.

"Yes, ma'ma," they said as they walked away.

"Natsu!" He heard Lucy call him from one of the tables in the corner. She was surrounded by the other girls. "Can you help me?" He ran over to her to see what she needed.

"What's up, Luce?"

"I need your help planning the gender reveal party and getting supplies, and since you're the only other person that knows whether or not the baby is a boy or a girl, I need you to go out alone," Lucy said.

"Alright," he sighed. Natsu made his was to the entrance of the guild when someone touched his arm. He turned around to see his beautiful blonde partner smiling at him.

"Actually, I'm going to come with you," Lucy said, looping her arm through his.

"What about the party?" he asked, confused.

"All needs to be planned is the food and when the actual reveal will be. I'm sure the girls can handle that one their own." Lucy gestured to the Fair Tail women gathered around the table, happily sharing their ideas about the party.

"Okay," Natsu said as he led Lucy out of the guild.

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Lucy walked ahead of him, holding a sleeping Happy in her arms while he carried two bags of decorations and a cake back to their apartment. While they were out, Happy had returned from a job with Wendy and Carla and went to find them.

Once they arrived, Lucy pulled out the keys to their apartment and unlocked the door. Natsu made his was to the kitchen to place the cake in the refrigerator until the next day when they were going to have the party. He walked out of the kitchen and into their bedroom where he found Lucy reading to their unborn child.

"What are you doing, Luce?" Natsu asked curiously. He'd thought it was weird considering the baby probably couldn't hear her.

"I'm reading to the baby," Lucy said as she looked away from the book.

"Why?" Natsu tilted his head to the side.

"Because it helps them." Lucy went back to reading and Natsu lay down beside her. It wasn't long until an idea popped into his head.

"The baby can hear us, right?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, Natsu," Lucy replied.

"Okay," he grinned as he scooted down the bed and lay his head on her belly. He placed his hands on either side of his face and began speaking in a soft tone.

"Hello, baby. I'm you're dad, Natsu. I want you to know that I'm very excited to meet you soon and that I love you so much... Also, I hope that you can breathe fire just like me!"

Lucy sat up with tears in her eyes. There was no other person that would've made a better father for her child than him. He was definitely what their baby needed in life.

Natsu looked over at his fiancee. "What's the matter, Lucy?" he asked sitting up and holding her face in his hands.

"Nothing, really. I love you, Natsu. You're going to be the best father."

"I love you, too, Luce." He touched his forehead to hers. "You're already the best mother."

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 **THIS ENDING IS PRECIOUS!!!!!!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I mean the ending of the chapter, lol.**

 **Anyways, I hope you're all prepared for the next chapter where they reveal the gender of the baby! Or will they, hehehehe.**

 **Thank you for reading! I send you all the love in the world:)**

 **Bye-ya!**

 **~Panda Where**


	16. The One With The Gender Reveal Part II

Chapter 16

(Both)

It was seven o'clock on a lovely Saturday morning in Magnolia. Lucy had woken Natsu up and told him to get ready so they could meet the girls at the guild hall. They had to set up and decorate for the party. Of course, he wasn't too happy about waking up that early, but Lucy needed his help, so he complied.

By ten o'clock, when everyone had finished setting up, Natsu suggested they get food. Lucy was all for it, considering she had barely any energy left. That baby definitely made her tired. The rest of the women, however, decided to stay and eat at the guild.

While Natsu and Lucy made their way out of the guild, they ran into Macao, Romeo, and Wakaba. "Hey guys," Natsu said with a smile.

"Hey there, Natsu," said Macao.

"What are you guys doing here? The party doesn't start until noon," Natsu scratched the back of his head.

"We were just seein' if there was a small, in-town job we could take before the party," Wakaba said, taking a hit from his cigarette and blowing the smoke, not even trying to avoid them. Lucy walked behind Natsu and laid her head on his shoulder facing his neck, breathing in his scent instead of the cigarette smoke. He turned his head slightly towards her then back to Macao and Wakaba.

"I seen one while I was hanging streamer," Natsu replied. "I think it was for a small jewelry store robbery on the other side of town."

"Thanks, Natsu," Macao said as he, Wakaba, and Romeo made their way to the request board in the guild.

"You alright, Luce?" Natsu asked, turning around and grabbing her shoulders.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Lucy smiled at him.

"Okay," He said, placing a hand on her stomach and planting a quick kiss on her cheek. "We should get going now. I'm starving." Natsu placed his hands behind his head and led the way to the restaurant.

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By the time they had returned to the guild, it was 11:55 a.m. They had five minutes to spare. Natsu looked around and noticed a small, blue-haired girl making her way over to them.

"Goodness, Lu! I thought you guys were going to be late," Levy said, placing her hands on her hips.

"Sorry, Lev. I guess we lost track of time." Lucy waved her hands in front of her. "But we're here now." Natsu, who was quietly standing behind Lucy, had noticed that everyone else was there as well. The parties never started exactly when planned, did they?

' _Oh well,'_ Natsu thought to himself. He shrugged, told Lucy he'd be back, and made his way over to Gray and Gajeel in an attempt to start a fight. But before one could be started, Erza jumped in and punched him square in the face.

"What did I tell you, Natsu? There will be NO fighting while Lucy is carrying a baby. Do. I. Make. My-self. Clear?" Erza said, rather pissed.

"Y-Yes, ma'am." The fire wizard cowered in fear as she walked passed him. Lucy, who was watching the whole thing go down, sighed in disappointment. She'd thought the father of her baby would've been the one stopping the fights to protect the two instead of starting them.

"Natsu," Lucy said as she walked over to him. "Why must you do this now of all times?" she asked him. She took his hand and led him to the stage where they were going to announce the gender.

"Luce, isn't it too early into the party to tell everyone?" Natsu asked, confused by her actions.

"I wouldn't say ' _too early_.' Don't you think that we should tell everyone the gender and then we could celebrate?" Lucy asked, walking onto the stage and grabbing a microphone from one of the stands.

"I guess you're right," Natsu agreed.

"By the way, you haven't told anyone yet, right?" Lucy asked, making sure her fiancee had kept it to himself.

"Of course! No one know's that the baby's a-"

" _Natsu!_ " Lucy hissed, placing one of her hands over his mouth.

"Geez, Lucy! My bad," Natsu said, throwing his arms into the air in a frustrated manner. "Let's just tell the guild already." The two had looked into the crowd of their guild mates to see everyone staring at them.

"Here we go. Levy, can you bring up the cake?" Lucy asked as the petite girl brought up a cake that resembled a small wedding cake. Once it was placed down on a stool next to Natsu, he cut a small piece to reveal a pink and white colored center.

"It's a girl!" Natsu said as the entire guild excitedly shouted. He grabbed Lucy by the waist and threw a fist in the air, thankful that he no longer had to keep the surprise to himself.

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Porlyusica stepped outside of her small cottage on the far outskirts of Magnolia. Oh, how she loved being alone. All of those humans irritated her, but they needed her, so she was never too far away.

Porlyusica looked up into the bright blue sky. Somewhere far off in the distance, she felt it. A large gathering of magic power that only frightened her as it grew.

Something was going to happen. She didn't know when or what, but it was on it's way.

Something bad was coming.

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 **Sorry about such a long wait in between chapters. I've been hesitant on posting this one because I feel like its confusing and hard to read, but I don't know.**

 **Anyways, here it is! Thank you for reading and I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible.**

 **And Happy New Year! (Even though we are about 10 days into it lol)**

 **~Panda Where**


	17. The One With The Preparations

Chapter 17

(Lucy)

With their wedding quickly approaching, along with her due date, Lucy had been working nonstop to prepare everything from the actual ceremony to the reception to the nursery for their daughter. Everything was done. Well, everything except for her wedding dress. Lucy thought it'd be a great idea to let Mira Jane and Erza design and make her dress, but it was taking a little longer than they planned because of how many times the two women bumped heads. At one point, Lucy thought she should just buy a dress, but the girls insisted they make it "special" for her and Natsu's "big day." They were such handfuls sometimes

Periodically, Lucy would check to make sure Natsu was okay since he had only the guys to work with. Gajeel and Gray provided him with a good amount of advice, but since neither of them were actually married, the advice was limited to telling him that marriage is just a higher title for dating.

When Lucy had heard what those two had told her fiance, she explained to him that there was more to marriage and that is wasn't just like dating. He seemed to understand, but Lucy was still skeptical that he may not have comprehended it so well. But there were more important things to worry about. For example, giving birth to their baby. Lucy hadn't been too excited about giving birth. Yeah, she was excited to be a mom and felt like she and Natsu were ready, but she was afraid of the pain. She had spoken to Bisca about it, though, and learned that as soon as she's holding her baby, all the pain she's endured will just vanish.

But still. She had to make it through the pain to hold the baby.

Lucy was walking to the guild, her growing belly protruding from her small body. With only one month to go, her belly was large and sent great amounts of pain to her back. Most of the time, Natsu was there to guide her, but he had gone on a mission with Gray, Juvia, and Happy to make a little extra jewel. They had plenty already, but Gray offered to let him tag along and he couldn't just pass that up.

Along the way, Lucy had stopped by a small shop where she and Natsu had bought all of the things they needed for their baby girl. Excitement flowed through her body as she realized how soon their baby would be there. 'Just one more month,' Lucy thought to herself as she continued walking.

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(Natsu)

"Dammit, Gray. Move!" Natsu had been desperately trying to land a hit on a large monster that had been terrorizing a small village east of Magnolia. It was taller that all of the buildings except for a big clock tower in the center of the town. The creature had a rough, scaly body and long, white horns curling from it's head.

"Cool it, ya pyro. I'm trying just as hard to beat this thing as you are." The right side of Gray's body had changed to a deep, midnight-blue as he summoned his devil-slaying ice magic.

"No way am I letting you have all the fun," Natsu said, rolling up his sleeves and punching his fists together, flames engulfing his hands.

"Gray, my love, please be careful. The costs of destroying the town would be the entire reward," Juvia said, standing behind them with Happy.

"Who cares?" Natsu chuckled. "That ugly thing already destroyed it all anyway. We'lljust blame destroying whatever is left in him."

"For once, Flame-Brain is right." Gray laughed, too. "How about, on the count of three, we both hit it with everything we got."

"Sounds like a plan to me. I gotta get home and check on Lucy soon, so the quicker the better."

"Okay. One... Two-" A loud roar came from the large creature as it charged through some more houses before knocking down the clock tower, blocking Natsu and Gray's view and path. "Ah shit," Gray mumbled under his breath.

"We have to climb over the rubble. It's the only way around," Juvia said, scanning the area around them. They were surrounded by collapsed buildings and houses.

"Or we can burn it all," Natsu offered, but his idea was almost instantly shot down by Gray.

"No way. It'll take way too much of your magic power."

"But walking over it will take too much time! Didn't you hear me? I have a pregnant fiance who needs me," Natsu said, waving his arms in the air.

"Then why'd you come with us, you idiot?" Gray said, aggressively pressing his forehead into the fire mage's, pushing him back slightly.

"Because I didn't think you'd be capable of doing this on your own."

"Oh yeah, Flame-Brain?"

"Yeah, Ice Princess!"

"Boys!" Natsu and Gray stopped and saw Juvia waving her arms at them. She was standing on top of the remains of the structures that once stood. The ones blocking their path. "If you two would just stop fighting, you'd know that it took me not even two minutes to climb up here. Plus, we have a flying cat that can assist us when necessary." Juvia crossed her arms. "I expected this from Natsu, but I had hoped you'd be more mature on this mission, Gray." She walked off down the other side of the mound until she was no longer in view.

"Look what you did, Gray."

"What I did? My girlfriend is mad at me because _you_ threw a fit about going over the damn rubble." The two boys continued bickering until they reached the monster. "Now, we need to make this quick. Okay, Natsu?"

"I'm the one who said it needed to be quick in the first place." Gray rolled his eyes, counted to three, and leapt into the air with Natsu close beside him.

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(Lucy)

After what seemed like an eternity of walking, Lucy had finally arrived at the guild. She walked over to Levy and sat next to her, only to feel a sharp pain shoot through her stomach. "AHH!" Lucy screamed. Levy jumped up.

"What's wrong Lucy?" Levy asked, an obvious look of concern forming on her face.

"I don't know. I just felt a sharp pain sho- AHH!" Lucy screamed again. Gajeel had just made his way over to investigate the scene.

"What happened? Is she okay?" He asked the small blue-haired mage.

"I don't know. Let's get her to Porlyusica's. Cana, find Warren and contact Natsu.Tell him it's urgent and he needs to get here right away."

"Got it!" Cana said, as she ran to look for Warren. Gajeel picked Lucy up and followed Levy out of the guild, rushing to Porlyusica's home in the woods.

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 **Hey! I know, I know. It's been a while since I've updated either of my stories, BUT I'm back to writing. I have been working on "Secret Lovers" and improved my writing a little bit.**

 **Well, here's chapter 17! The suspense is real. Will Natsu make it on time? What's happening with Lucy? What about the thing Porlyusica sensed in the previous chapter? All of these questions will be answered. Stay tuned for the rest of the story.**

 **Until next time!**

 **~Panda Where**


	18. TheOneWiththeEarlyArrival

Chapter 18

(Natsu)

"Are you serious, Gray? You got in my way _again_!" Natsu yelled from behind the ice mage and Juvia, who appeared to be very annoyed by the boys' constant bickering.

"What are you talking about, ya idiot?" Gray said, turning to face the pink-haired fire mage.

"I was just about to kill the damn thing and _you_ jumped in front of me!" Natsu stomped his foot and pointed a finger at Gray, his eyes filled with anger. Suddenly, a voice cut through the boys' arguement.

"Natsu? Can you hear me?" Natsu looked to Gray and Juvia, both seeming to have heard it, too.

"Yes, Warren. We all can," Gray announced.

"What is it?" Juvia asked, suddenly growing worried. Warren had never contacted either of the four members that were on the mission unless he was trying to relay an important message. They didn't even know his telepathy magic could reach that far.

"I wasn't told what happened, only to get in contact with Natsu to let him know it's urgent. Frankly, I think it may have something to do with Lucy since Cana asked me specifically for you, Natsu."

Natsu locked eyes with Happy as he grabbed a hold of his shoulders and flew as fast as he could. It took a minute for Natsu to finally register what was actually happening, but once he realized, he went into panic mode.

"What do you think happened to Lucy? Do you think it has to do with the baby?" Natsu asked as he tried calming himself so he could at least think properly.

"It's very possible. She hasn't been going on missions, and Warren didn't mention anything about the other guild members, so there wasn't an attack," Happy replied, still maintaining his speed back to Magnolia.

"But she isn't due for another month!" Sweat began to form on his face as they landed in front of the guild. Natsu ran inside, frantically looking for his fiancé, until he was greeted by Cana.

"Natsu? Why are you here? You should be with Lucy at Porlyusica's. Didn't Warren tell you?"

Natsu ran out of the guild in and through the streets of the town until he eventually arrived at a Forrest along the outskirts. He weaved past the trees in the woods until he had arrived at his destination, only to find a bundle of blankets in the arms of one of his guild mates.

Not Lucy.

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(Lucy)

She began to drift off until the man carrying her stopped behind his girlfriend.

"Come on, Gajeel. We need to keep going." Levy ran inside, calling for the healing wizard until she finally came into view, nagging as always.

"Look lady, we don't have the time to do this," Gajeel snapped. "I don't think Blondie is going to be conscious for much longer." Porlyusica placed a hand over Lucy's forehead. Her hand was rough, but warm. The celestial mage opened hers eyes just enough to see that Porlyusica's face had gone ghostly pale.

"Put her on the bed now and leave! There's no time to waste. We need to save the child!"

' _Child,'_ Lucy thought. ' _What's wrong with the baby?'_ It didn't take long for her eyes to close. They'd become so heavy, and she didn't have the strength to fight to stay awake. Her thoughts were becoming fuzzy when a light cleared them away. A figure stood before her, wearing a long, white gown that went past her feet. Her blonde, wavy hair flowed past her chest and stopped at her lower back. At first, Lucy hadn't quite realized what was happening.

Then she realized that the person in front of her was her mother, waiting with open arms. "Mom!" Lucy shouted as she ran towards her, tears falling down her face. How was she there? Lucy was confused, but pushed it aside, wrapping her arms around Layla Heartfilia.

"Look how much you've grown," her mother whispered softly, stroking Lucy's messy blonde hair.

"How are you here?" Lucy questioned. Her mother gestured to Lucy's lifeless body that lay on the bed behind them. It was surrounded by the three mages who were trying so hard to keep her alive and save her child. Lucy covered her face.

She was dying. That's why she had been able to see and interact with her mother who had passed away many years ago. "I can't go yet, mom. I have to be there for my baby and Natsu." Her heart sank when she said his name. How could she just leave the man she loved to raise their child on his own?

"My sweet daughter, your human body lacks the strength to keep going. They'll be okay because you'll be watching over them," Layla said, pulling Lucy closer to her. She considered her mom's words for a second until she reached a conclusion.

"They need me, and I need them. It's as simple as that."

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(Natsu)

He looked at Gajeel, who had been holding his daughter, wondering why she wasn't inside with Lucy. Was she okay? Did something happen to his fiance while he was away? He had to check on her, so he pushed through the doorway and into the room where Lucy lay, sleeping so deeply she almost looked...

Natsu shook his head to clear that thought from his mind and ran over to his unconscious fiance, feeling first her neck, and then her wrist for a pulse. It was faint, but it was there. Natsu breathed a sigh of relief as he planted a gentle kiss on her forehead and walked back out to Gajeel.

"How long ago did she give birth?" He asked, his tone suggesting the pain he felt for not making it on time.

"About two hours ago. To be honest, we almost lost them both for a second there. Lucy's breathing stopped, and your daughter's heart rate dropped tremendously. I was terrified. All I could think about was how we were going to have to tell you," Gajeel said, handing Natsu's daughter over to him with such gentleness that seemed so strange to both of them, yet so warm. Natsu looked at the baby in his arms, a pink bow camouflaged in her pink hair, and smiled. He imagined how her eyes looked, whether or not they were chocolate brown like Lucy's or emerald green like his own. He rocked her back and forth until Porlyusica appeared and took her inside to check up on her health.

Natsu waited impatiently, pacing back and forth outside until the old healer came outside and gave him back his daughter. "Everything seems to be fine," Porlyusica said. "But I'd like to keep them here over night to be safe."

Natsu pressed his lips together and sighed. They needed to get better, so he had no choice but to agree with her. He nodded his head, gave his daughter a kiss on her forehead, and headed back out to the guild.

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 **Well, well, well. It's been quite sometime since I've uploaded a new update, but here's one. Sorry for taking so long to get to it. I've been busy with school lately, but hopefully I can get back into writing.**

 **As always, see you in the next chapter!!**

 **~PandaWhere**


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